France has confirmed the world's first human infection with the "Shamonda virus" after a severely immunocompromised patient died earlier this month. Authorities state there is no evidence of risk to the general public at this time.Tags: [Shamonda virus, France, infectious disease, public health, immunocompromised patients]
On 24 October 2026 GMT+7, French authorities confirmed the first human case of Shamonda virus infection following the death of a patient earlier this month. Previously, this virus was known primarily as an animal pathogen, especially affecting cattle and other livestock.Tags: [Shamonda virus, France, animal virus, first human case, livestock]
Officials stated the deceased patient had severe immunodeficiency and developed brain complications before death, likely linked to infection with this virus. French authorities assess this as a rare event occurring in immunocompromised individuals and currently find no evidence that the virus poses a health risk to the general population.Tags: [immunodeficiency, brain complications, Shamonda virus, rare infection, health risk]
The Shamonda virus spreads to animals via biting midges of the Culicoides genus, small blood-sucking insects. Authorities suspect the patient contracted the virus from these insects in eastern France, where the virus had been detected in animals during the spring and summer of this year.Tags: [Shamonda virus transmission, Culicoides midges, vector-borne disease, eastern France, animal infection]
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated via social media that WHO is coordinating with French authorities to collect information on transmission routes and to assess potential public health risks.Tags: [WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Shamonda virus, public health assessment, France]
The Shamonda virus was first discovered in Nigeria in the mid-1960s and has been reported in cattle across various regions in Africa and Japan. However, until now, no human infections had been recorded over the past decades.Tags: [Shamonda virus history, Nigeria, animal outbreaks, no prior human cases, epidemiology]
Source: ReutersTags: [Reuters, news source]